Chapter 970
The Opportunity to Become an Immortal, The Golden Age
As Song Changsheng stepped out of the palace, led by his attendant, he saw a rusty chariot drawn by two four-clawed bronze dragon puppets hurtling towards him from the horizon.
A figure clad in golden armor, exuding extraordinary valor, stood atop the chariot, moving with impunity in the rigidly hierarchical capital of Gaoyang.
Needless to say, apart from that eldest prince, there is probably no other person who could be found.
At this moment, Zhao Yin also noticed Song Changsheng standing in front of the palace gate and frowned slightly, saying, "It's him."
He drove his chariot down in front of the palace gate and looked down at the gate, saying, "Why are you here?"
"It has been a few days since I sent two juniors to school. I never expected to have the honor of being summoned by His Majesty."
"Your father summons you? In that case, come with me to meet him." Zhao Yin stepped off the war carriage.
“I have already met His Majesty, so there is no need for Your Highness to trouble yourself.”
Zhao Yin nodded dismissively, casually tossing the spear in his hand into the arms of a palace guard in front of the palace gate. He then strode towards the palace gate, and just before entering, he turned back to Song Changsheng and said, "Since you're sending a junior to school, you shouldn't leave before the assessment and trials are over, right?"
If you have some free time in the future, you are welcome to visit my home.
After saying that, he walked into the palace without looking back.
Song Changsheng frowned slightly. He came to the palace empty-handed and left empty-handed, seemingly having gained nothing. However, both the King and the First Prince extended olive branches to him.
As a ruler of a dynasty, it is reasonable for a king to discover talented individuals.
But why would the eldest prince do that? He wasn't naive enough to think that the other party was just inviting him over for a chat.
This is, after all, a world where strength reigns supreme. As the controller of the dynasty's fortune and will, the Human King is the absolute strongest in a celestial dynasty. It is almost impossible for him to seize power unless a more powerful force is introduced from the outside.
But to do that would be tantamount to voluntarily becoming someone else's puppet.
Moreover, when the king dies, the state is in danger.
If the fortune of the Celestial Dynasty cannot be smoothly transitioned, the fortune of the entire Celestial Dynasty will collapse, and all officials will be affected. Therefore, generally no one would do the foolish thing of following the prince to seize power; such a thing would only happen in the mortal world.
However, not seizing power does not mean not desiring power.
Power represents the right to speak, and also the allocation of resources.
Behind every official in the imperial court stands a vast interest group, perhaps followers, sects, or families.
If they cannot be allocated enough resources, this interest group will collapse and they themselves will fall into the abyss, which forces them to fight and grab.
However, the Great Zhen Immortal Dynasty is too stable now. Apart from some foreign tribes on the border who can still pose a slight threat, it is harder to make achievements than to ascend to heaven.
The court was stagnant, and class divisions were rigid.
If you want to break the established class system, you can only wait until the new king ascends the throne. As the saying goes, "a new emperor brings a new court," and after the new king ascends the throne, he will definitely place a group of his own confidants in the court.
The Great Zhen King has many children, but the eldest prince is the recognized heir. Therefore, he enjoys a very high reputation in the court, and countless people support him both openly and secretly.
The eldest prince must have his own team of people around him.
He extended an invitation to me, most likely because he wanted to recruit me.
If Zhao Yin is confirmed as the crown prince, he wouldn't mind getting closer to him. Making friends with a future king would be beneficial for both him and the Song family.
But the most crucial thing right now is that Zhao Yin is not yet the crown prince.
Although he wields immense influence in the military, the court, among the common people, and in academia, his position as heir apparent remains unresolved, as if the matter has been forgotten.
Some people believe that the so-called crown prince is merely a matter of the king's decree, and as things stand, no one can pose a threat to Zhao Yin; it will just be a formality.
Would a wise and mighty king abandon such a flawless successor?
In Song Changsheng's view, yes.
The process and the result are equally important; without that decree, Zhao Yin would forever remain just a prince.
The King's attitude towards this eldest prince is too strange. He had noticed this during the Five Academies Grand Competition. It is certain that the father and son are not on good terms, which is probably the main reason why the decree to establish an heir has been delayed for so long.
In this situation, it's best to avoid excessive contact.
Besides, he had just rejected the olive branch offered by the King of Men. If he were to turn around and run to Zhao Yin's residence, His Majesty the King of Men would be displeased.
Hua Yan Chi Li will be staying in the Great Zhen Immortal Dynasty to study for the next period of time, so it's best not to cause any unforeseen complications.
After returning to the academy, Song Changsheng asked around and found out the location of the courtyard the academy had built for him. When he arrived, he discovered that Hua Yan was still there even after he had been gone for several days: "Why are you still here? Didn't the academy make any arrangements for you?"
"Elder Shuqi has already made all the arrangements. It's just that I would like to take my leave of Master first. As you always say, haste makes waste. Cultivation is not something that can be rushed."
Song Changsheng smiled slightly and said, "It's not like you're going on a long journey, so there's no need for a special farewell. Go with peace of mind and make up for the Heavenly Deficiency as soon as possible. Your teacher looks forward to the day you break through to the Golden Core stage."
After saying that, he looked at Chi Li beside him and said, "The trial assessment will begin in three days. Are you confident?"
"This disciple is fully prepared and will absolutely not disappoint Master."
"This is a great opportunity for you to gain experience, so make the most of it. Of course, your safety should always be the top priority."
"Once your junior sister has made up for her own shortcomings, I will come to take you back," Song Changsheng said earnestly.
"Please rest assured, Master," Chi Li replied calmly.
Hua Yan's expression was somewhat forlorn. After this parting, it wouldn't be easy to meet again. Her fate and Chi Li's were ultimately different. Although Hua Yan appeared calm on the surface, her eyes betrayed her. Seeing this, Song Changsheng smiled and said, "Don't worry, I keep my word. Focus on your cultivation and don't overthink things."
His smile always brought a sense of peace, and Hua Yan's heart seemed to calm down at that moment. She nodded heavily.
The following morning, Song Changsheng sent Hua Yan directly to the secret realm where the Nine Luminaries Yang Pool was located. Two days later, he personally escorted Chi Li to undergo the trial assessment.
If he is not eliminated prematurely, the trial will last at least a year. Originally, Song Changsheng planned to stay in the Great Zhen Immortal Dynasty, wait for the results, and consult the Imperial Preceptor on astrology.
But judging from the attitudes of the King and the Crown Prince towards him, he felt it was best not to stay in this place of trouble, lest he get caught up in the vortex of this father and son.
Song Changsheng thought to himself, "Since I'm already here, I might as well go and check on the progress of the fusion between the divine soul avatar and the spiritual body."
Several decades have passed since he brought out the spirit body of the Reincarnation True Lord. During this time, although the consciousness of the divine soul avatar has not completely subsided, he can only vaguely sense the safe state of the divine soul avatar and has no idea about the progress of the fusion.
Theoretically speaking, the fusion would take about a hundred years, and we are still far from that point. But since we're already here, we might as well take a look, visit the Chaotic Ancient Domain Rock City, and then go to the Eastern Heaven Cultivation World.
After decades of planning, it's time to see some results.
Thinking of this, Song Changsheng greeted Shu Qi and then set off for the location of the Extreme Yang Land.
Arriving at that familiar canyon, he couldn't help but feel a little emotional. When he first found this place, he also wiped out a branch of a demonic cult, which led to the discovery of a demonic organization called the Shadow Demon Cult.
At the time, he specifically handed the clues over to Wanxiang Palace for investigation, but decades have passed and there are still no clues.
He used his divine sense to conduct a thorough search, confirming that the demonic cultivators had not returned, before venturing deeper into the canyon and entering the Land of Extreme Yang.
The spirit body of the Reincarnation True Lord was placed in the underground Yang Pool, shrouded in a hazy golden light, appearing to be peacefully asleep. In reality, the perception of the divine soul avatar was still very sharp, and it sensed Song Changsheng's presence the moment he approached.
"How's the integration going?"
Song Changshou didn't speak, but controlled his spirit body to open his eyes, then raised his hand and moved his fingers around, which looked very flexible.
"It seems the fusion is going well." Song Changsheng nodded in satisfaction. This performance showed that Song Changshou was already able to control the spirit body of the Reincarnation True Monarch to a certain extent, and it was only a matter of time before he fully took over the spirit body.
Judging from the current progress, it should be much faster than the original timeframe.
"The yang energy accumulated in the dantian is sufficient. We only need to wait for the right opportunity to carry out the final step: the generation of yang from extreme yin."
"I was initially worried that the True Monarch's spirit body was too powerful and might cause difficulties in fusion, but I didn't expect it to go so smoothly. This spirit body carries the memories of the Reincarnation True Monarch. Can you inherit them now?"
This was exactly what Song Changsheng was looking forward to. The Reincarnation True Monarch was once a top-tier expert who roamed the world, only one step away from the Nascent Soul stage. His memories were priceless.
Zhuang Yuechan's achievements today are inseparable from the legacy left to her by Yu Shu Zhenjun, of which memories constitute the most significant part.
"Yes, but very few. There are only some broken and indistinct fragments of memory. There is not much useful information. It is probably because it was inherited by the intelligence that was born in the previous spiritual body."
"Is there no useful information at all?" Song Changsheng frowned slightly. He had originally wanted to ask the Reincarnation True Monarch why he chose to be reborn.
This question seems a bit redundant. Isn't rebirth simply because you don't want to die and want to live a second life? What other reason could there be?
Song Changsheng had thought so before, but based on the investigations conducted by Luoxia City over the years and the exchanges with other forces that were on good terms with the cultivation world, he discovered two more cases of reincarnation of powerful True Monarchs from ten thousand years ago.
Including the Heavenly Imperial True Monarch who was previously discovered by the Heavenly Firmament Sect, that makes four.
One or two might be a coincidence, but so many is another matter entirely. They were powerful figures living in the same era, and they might even know each other.
Throughout history, the number of Nascent Soul True Monarchs born has been as numerous as the stars in the sky, but only a handful have the option to be reborn, and even fewer succeed.
If rebirth fails, one will be punished by heaven, and one's true spirit will never be able to be reborn.
The risks and the costs are completely disproportionate, especially for powerful forces with deep foundations. They can choose to reincarnate normally after passing away, and the sect can find them by the marks left by their previous life after a certain period of time.
After a special spiritual awakening ceremony, they can regain their memories of their past lives.
The only risk in doing this is that talent is uncontrollable. If one's spiritual root is not good, the cultivation progress before the Golden Core stage will be relatively slow. However, as long as one gets through this stage, the rest will depend on comprehension. After the Spirit Awakening Ceremony, if their comprehension is strong enough and they have enough experience, they still have a good chance of returning to their previous level.
Direct rebirth involves more uncontrollable factors, and the chance of success is pitifully low. Apart from rogue cultivators, very few people would choose this path.
Therefore, such a high number of reincarnations is very abnormal. These people clearly foresaw something and were eager to know the answer, but they did not expect this result.
Just when Song Changsheng had given up hope, Song Changshou suddenly changed the subject and said, "There are still some that I would be quite interested in."
The original plan of the True Lord of Reincarnation was also to reincarnate normally. At that time, the Chen Clan of the Eastern Heaven was still very powerful and had set up special guides.
The reason I later gave up on this idea was because of a person, a divination master who called himself Lingji, who also came from the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion. I have no memory of his physical appearance, so I don't know if he is the one you know.
He told the True Lord of Reincarnation that the elders of the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion had conducted joint calculations and discovered that a golden age would descend in ten thousand years, and the path to heaven would lie within it.
The True Lord of Reincarnation believed that the path to heaven was the key to becoming an immortal.
Before his death, he calculated day and night, ultimately deciding to use the extreme yin-to-yang technique to be reborn, hoping to seize the initiative.
"A golden age, an opportunity to become an immortal?" Song Changsheng raised an eyebrow, his surprise turning to relief in an instant.
Yes, he really couldn't think of any other reason besides becoming an immortal that would make a True Monarch powerhouse risk everything.
He did not doubt the truthfulness of what Song Changshou said, but what puzzled him was that ten thousand years later, on the day when the calamity star was about to descend upon the world, why was it called the Golden Age? Was he being deceived, or was it referring to the aftermath of the catastrophe?
If there truly is an opportunity to become an immortal, why would the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion tell others about it?
Could the True Lord of Reincarnation who met the True Lord of Spiritual Insight be the same person he met?
Were the other True Lords also influenced by the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion when they chose to reincarnate?
"What exactly are these celestial strategists plotting? Is it to become an immortal?" Song Changsheng felt a bit irritated. No wonder everyone didn't want to deal with this group. You never know what they're up to!
...(End of this chapter)